2015 Teacher Spending Survey

Last year, Agile Education Marketing SheerID teamed up to conduct a survey of K-12 teachers to find out more about teacher spending habits. The results were so interesting, that we surveyed over 500 teachers again this year, and now we all get to geek out over the results.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at least thirty states in the U.S. provided less per-pupil funding for K-12 students during the 2014-2015 school year than they did before the recession hit. About 46% of total educational spending comes from state funds. The teachers we surveyed were experiencing the aftershocks of budget cuts as more of the money spent on their classrooms came from their own pockets instead of their schools or districts.

The average amount of their own money that teachers spent was $490

The average amount teachers received from their school to spend on classrooms was $300

The average amount teachers received from school districts was $247

Although education budgets fluctuate from state to state and district to district, teachers’ average spending for classroom supplies has stayed steady for the past two years, hovering right around $500.

Of that nearly $500 that teachers spend out-of-pocket, 57% was spent on classroom supplies while 9% was spent on instructional materials.

Out of curiosity, we also asked teachers about their social media use in and out of the classroom setting. It turns out, 68% reported that they have used at least one social media network for teaching purposes, and they do not necessarily use the same platforms for classroom use that they use on their own time. 71% of teens use multiple social media sites, and it appears that their teachers do too. One teacher we know hypothesized that teachers are turning to sites like Pinterest and blogs to look for free educational resources, which is just one more way they can stretch their budgets.

Our survey returned a lot of fascinating information this year. Thanks to all the teachers who took our survey this year and to SheerID for partnering with us on it.

FREE WEBINAR!

Email Strategies to Drive Your Business from Start to Inbox to Dollars

Learn innovative ways to effectively leverage email as part of your marketing mix.

Click for Review

Contact Address

Petroleum Building

110 16th Street, Suite 506

Denver, CO 80202

Phone: 1.866.783.0241

Email: info@agile-ed.com

About Agile Education Marketing

We're the go-to people to build brand recognition and generate leads. Using our comprehensive EdConnect™ database of early childhood, K-12 and higher education institutions and personnel, Agile Education Marketing helps you reach educators at school, at home and online.